BRATISLAVA, June 24, (WEBNOVINY) — Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic has granted Austrian politician Erhard Busek the highest state award of the Slovak Republic – the Order of the White Double-Bar Cross on Friday. Busek has become a holder of the award for his extraordinary contribution to development of relations between the Slovak Republic and Austria and spreading a good name of Slovakia abroad, informed the Presidential Office’s webpage.
The Slovak head of state praised Busek’s efforts for acknowledgment of Slovaks as a national minority in Austria and his participation in two world congresses of foreign Slovaks when he took the floor with contribution on spreading culture among nations. “Our nations live side by side for more than one millennium but it is not possible to say unambiguously that we understand each other in all areas. It is therefore your merit that relations between our nations have been improving,” said the Slovak head of state during the award ceremony. The president gave high marks to Busek’s efforts in the long run and expressed the wish that relations between the countries continue improving.
In his acceptance speech, Busek thanked for the high state award. “You have done a lot of respectable work. Hardly anyone trusted you but you did it,“ said Busek.
The Presidential Office informed that Erhard Busek had been visiting Bratislava already in the 1980s and as one of few western politicians developed intensive contacts with Bratislava. He stood at the cradle of the Austrian-Slovak Culture Institute in Vienna that was founded in 1982. He was one of the initiators of the acknowledgment of Slovaks as a national minority in Austria and contributed to its official recognition in 1992. He was one of the first Austrian politicians who took the floor at rallies against the communist regime at Bratislava SNP square during the Velvet Revolution. He intensively supported democratic development in Slovakia. Busek devoted attention to relations with Slovakia when he served in the Austrian government. He still devotes attention to them as a representative of several NGOs. Busek publishes books devoted to developments in Slovakia.
SITA